Dominic Thiem beat defending champion Alexander Zverev on Saturday to join Roger Federer’s conqueror Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the ATP Finals in London.
The Austrian fifth seed saw off the big-serving German 7-5, 6-3 after Greece’s Tsitsipas, making his debut at the tournament, had earlier beaten Federer 6-3, 6-4.
Thiem is playing in his fourth ATP Finals but during his first three trips to the season finale, he won only three matches and never advanced out of the group stage at the O2 Arena.
Zverev landed 75 percent of his first serves but Thiem was tougher in the big moments, breaking in the 12th game of the opening set and in the sixth game of the second set.
The Austrian also saved all four break points on his racquet.
Germany’s Zverev, who beat Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, went toe to toe with Thiem in a relatively uneventful first set but served a double fault to lose the opener 7-5.
